Game Delayed 76 Minutes Because Of Power Failure

By Al Morganti, Inquirer Staff Writer

PITTSBURGH — The Flyers' game against the Pittsburgh Penguins last night at the Civic Arena was delayed for more than an hour because of a power failure.

At about 6:30 p.m., power was lost to certain areas of the arena, including the transformer that generates electricity for the ice-making machinery.

Eventually, power was diverted to another generator, and after a delay of 76 minutes, the game began.

According to Jim Gregory, the NHL's director of officiating, power was lost to the ice-making machinery for less than 10 minutes. But in that time, the temperature of the ice rose from about 10 degrees to about 16 degrees.

The doors to the arena, which normally would have been opened at 6:30 p.m., were not opened until 7:40 p.m. According to Gregory, the fans were kept out to keep the temperature of the building as low as possible.

It was the third time in two years that a power failure threatened an NHL playoff game. However, the situation was not as bad as it was at Boston Garden last May, when Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals between the Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers was stopped during the second period when the lights went out.

That game was wiped out, and Game 4 was played at Edmonton. According to NHL rules, if a game is abandoned, it will be made up at the end of the series.

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The Flyers scratched defensemen Moe Mantha and Kerry Huffman, along with forwards Murray Craven (bruised wrist), Ilkka Sinisalo (recovering from a broken wrist) and Al Secord. They used forward Doug Sulliman for only the second time in the playoffs.